programming for fun

General discussion for topics related to the FreeBASIC project or its community.
jj2007
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Re: programming for fun

Post by jj2007 »

deltarho[1859] wrote:I have rattled on a bit
It was a good read, actually. My story is less gory but I also financed my studies (first engineering, then economics) by working hard, with almost no support from my parents. And I have a deep respect for people with oily hands who know how to use a spanner.
deltarho[1859]
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Re: programming for fun

Post by deltarho[1859] »

Within a few minutes of posting, I was going to delete but by not responding to MrSwiss' inference it would naturally be assumed that I took one exam after another seamlessly in a carefree environment; which was well off target.
with almost no support from my parents
That is the tough part. If you fall overboard then there is little chance of being thrown a lifebelt. Before I left home my mother was given strict instructions by my father not to give me any food. I was given a cupboard in the kitchen and told to stock up myself. I could not get out fast enough.
(first engineering, then economics) by working hard
Good for you.
MrSwiss
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Re: programming for fun

Post by MrSwiss »

deltarho[1859] wrote:which was well off target.
You mean to say, as much as your initial off target analogy, that prompted my reply?

I've started my BSc in Computer Science, at age 40, go figure ...
deltarho[1859]
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Re: programming for fun

Post by deltarho[1859] »

MrSwiss wrote:You mean to say, as much as your initial off target analogy, that prompted my reply?
I was not speaking analogously, explicit, I was speaking metaphorically, implicit. Metaphors require imagination to interpret, analogies do not.
Hell, I know that too.
... admitting the recognition of a metaphor and not an analogy but still wrote earlier the analogy "Btw. painting: is one of the few practical tasks I dislike".

Using metaphors is not the same as being cryptic although they may be equally difficult to understand.

Since English is not your first language I will 'let you off''. <smille>
I've started my BSc in Computer Science, at age 40, go figure ...
You should have consulted with me first: Computer Science is no challenge to you - I would have suggested Psychology.
BasicCoder2
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Re: programming for fun

Post by BasicCoder2 »

Polar opposites. I had full emotional and financial support from my parents however despite an intense interest in science and technology from early childhood I never had any natural talent for maths which I never took seriously until too late in life when I realised it was the core language of science. So I had to earn my living from hard labour and keep the science part as an occasional self taught hobby.
dodicat
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Re: programming for fun

Post by dodicat »

Actually deltarho[]
...
In the UK we had 'O' levels, at age 16, and 'A' levels, at age 18.
...

Scotland had O grades and Highers.
We must not forget the UK is composed of four countries and a few independent islands.
Each with different educational systems.

Nice story.

Basiccoder2
Hard labour?
We can only wonder what that is all about.

If Mr Swiss gets a degree in computer science, life will be hellish on the forum.

I did some maths and physics forty years ago, and even then I was a mature student.
Now I am just idling time until the next Jacobite manoeuvre.
MrSwiss
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Re: programming for fun

Post by MrSwiss »

dodicat wrote:If Mr Swiss gets a degree in computer science, life will be hellish on the forum.
Sorry dodicat, got that already a long time ago, aka: nothing to worry about!
BasicCoder2
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Re: programming for fun

Post by BasicCoder2 »

dodicat wrote:Basiccoder2
Hard labour?
We can only wonder what that is all about.
Perhaps not hard labour more physical labour rather than brain labour.
Last edited by BasicCoder2 on Aug 17, 2018 9:27, edited 1 time in total.
coderJeff
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Re: programming for fun

Post by coderJeff »

For a topic with such a rough start, this thread is actually a really nice read...

- as kid/teen loved to program
- university for mechincal engineering, a small programming component
- first real job, programming mech eng software
- then, self-employed programmer for 10+ years
- writing yet another database application with user input form for an engineer so he can click a button and generate a report. Absolutely hating choices I've made...
- reboot
- apprentice electrician 5 years
- journeyman electrician now, it's great.
- love to program ( again ), becuase I don't do it for a living. Yay!

Here's me connecting an electrical swtich. 27,600V actually.

The overall perspective I can appreciate now, is that the disparity between scholars and trades is huge. Having been in both worlds, easy to see that each underestimates the other.
Lost Zergling
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Re: programming for fun

Post by Lost Zergling »

Hello all, hi coderJeff,
On my side, the "absolutely hating choice" (I was trainee) I can remember was : just an Interface wich was coded massively using recursive techniques and which was handling main app. Worked fine (after lot of work), looks like passing all tests, but we discovered afterwards it was performing or trying to perform back end rollbacks on process ending !
deltarho[1859]
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Re: programming for fun

Post by deltarho[1859] »

dodicat wrote:If Mr Swiss gets a degree in computer science, life will be hellish on the forum.
MrSwiss wrote:Sorry dodicat, got that already a long time ago, aka: nothing to worry about!
When I read "I've started my BSc in Computer Science, at age 40, go figure ..." I thought MrSwiss had just started his BSc in Computer Science.

I then got a bit confused thinking that nobody can be that grumpy at age 40. <Ha, ha>

Just kidding MrSwiss, honest.

@coderJeff
You and I have the same style of beard except mine is now grey from ear to ear as is the hair on my head.
this thread is actually a really nice read...
Posts with an anecdote here and there never go amiss with me.
fxm
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Re: programming for fun

Post by fxm »

For me, the classical French scientific training, helped by my parents.
After the scientific baccalaureate (mathematics):
- Preparatory classes : two-year undergraduate intensive course in mathematics and physics.
- National competitive examination for admission to the French "Grandes Ecoles".
- "Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electricité et de Mécanique de Nancy".
- Engineer's degree in electronics.
- Most recently, before retiring, responsible for systems engineering at a large French company designing big military air defense radars.
- Now, gone to retirement for 6 months.
badidea
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Re: programming for fun

Post by badidea »

Lots of people with electronics background, interest or occupation. Good to know, I might post a few electronics related questions on the forum some day.
I also have an engineering degree in electronics. Last 15 years active as technician supporting physics research. I grew up in a tree nursery environment. That didn't interest me very much, but as bad as drilling your own feet.
Linuxbob
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Re: programming for fun

Post by Linuxbob »

Since we are sharing...

My dad was a bricklayer; he told me if I ever tried to become a bricklayer, he would break both my legs. I think he was serious. Paid my way through school. Played around with electronics as long as I can remember, got a 2 year degree in electronics engineering, then started engineering traffic signal systems. Then moved to electrical engineering for buildings, got an electrical engineering degree, now as a licensed professional engineer I do industrial power engineering. Programming has always been a hobby since the TRS-80 days: assembler, BASIC of various flavors, C, C++, Pascal/Delphi. I prefer C and FreeBASIC because I enjoy the process of learning the programming more than having lots of programs.
caseih
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Re: programming for fun

Post by caseih »

Yes I think a lot parents worked hard so that their children could have better opportunities and not have to resort to back-breaking labor. However, I think this done as much harm as good to society in general. There's nothing wrong with being a brick layer. It's fairly skilled, if manual, work. And in quite a bit of demand in places. We can call certain jobs menial labor, but the fact remains we need them quite badly. That's not to say being a programmer or micro electronics export is at all bad. We depend on those people also.

When I worked at a university doing IT, the best student employees we had came from backgrounds such as farms, diesel mechanic, construction, etc. Somehow the ability to work hard, understand machines, and a desire for learning often arose from those backgrounds.
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